Chapter 57

After hanging up the phone, Sheng Qingli locked eyes with Li Yuwei, who was looking at her phone.

“Let’s go,” Li Yuwei said.

On the way home, Li Yuwei drove.

When Sheng Qingli opened her phone to log onto Weibo, she found that the platform was completely unresponsive.

Weibo had crashed.

At the same time, Pei Qingci’s call came in.

“Are you in the car?” His voice was cool, as calm as ever.

In fact, there was nothing that could shake Pei Qingci’s composure.

Sheng Qingli replied with a soft “mm” and quietly asked, “How did we get found out?”

Both of them were highly sensitive to the presence of cameras. Although they had kissed a few times in public, they were aware that there hadn’t been any paparazzi following or staking out their whereabouts at that time.

Pei Qingci wasn’t quite sure either; he murmured, “It seems to be a netizen who exposed it on a video platform.”

“A netizen?” Sheng Qingli was surprised.

Pei Qingci hadn’t seen the complete video yet, so he responded uncertainly with an “Mm.” “Let’s go home first; it’s not a big deal.”

Sheng Qingli understood; it just meant the relationship was revealed earlier. Since both were actors, they weren’t worried about losing fans or the impact on endorsements and other related issues.

Since Lin Lin took over Sheng Qingli’s management, every cooperation contract she signed included a clause that the cooperating party wouldn’t interfere with her personal life. Of course, this was under the premise that she would maintain a clean personal life.

“Where are you?” Sheng Qingli asked softly. “Are you at home?”

Pei Qingci happened to have returned to the Gu family today.

He replied, “At home; I’ll be back now.”

“Okay,” Sheng Qingli said.

Just as she was about to hang up, Pei Qingci said, “Let’s not go home yet; come to my place instead.”

Sheng Qingli asked, “…Are there paparazzi lurking in the neighborhood where I live?”

Pei Qingci answered, “I just received a message from Fang Rong that someone has gone over there.”

Sheng Qingli fell silent for a moment. “Got it.”

After hanging up, she turned to Li Yuwei. “I need to trouble Ms. Li to change the location.”

Li Yuwei responded, “No problem.”

She switched the address and took Sheng Qingli to Pei Qingci’s villa. The privacy there was higher, and no one in the industry knew exactly which neighborhood Pei Qingci lived in or which villa area he was in.

---

About ten minutes later, when Sheng Qingli and Li Yuwei arrived at Pei Qingci’s residence, news was finally starting to spread online.

As expected, topics like #ShengQingLiPeiQingCiDatingExposure and #ShengQingLiPeiQingCiKissing were trending at the top of the hot search list, followed by a deep red “explosive” word.

The two of them had become so popular that the exposure of their relationship had practically caused the entire internet to crash.

Sheng Qingli let Li Yuwei sit casually, while she found a corner of the sofa to sit down and opened the topic.

The majority of netizens who saw this topic were frantically asking what was going on, if it was true or false, and if they were seeing things.

The fans of both parties rushed to the scene at the first moment; at first, they were confused, but after watching the video shared by netizens, they all fell silent, even unable to control their comments.

The video was too clear; no one could argue that the person wasn’t their artist.

After the onlookers and CP fans watched the video, they became ecstatic and excited after a few seconds of being dumbfounded.

“I can’t believe it!!! I knew they must have looked so passionate when they kissed ahhh! Keep kissing, please!”

“What?! No paparazzi captured such a big event? Paparazzi, you guys are useless; you’re not doing your job when it matters.”

“Ahhh, eating pears as a couple is finally confirmed!!!”

“Grandma!! The CP you ship has been publicly announced!”

“Whoa whoa whoa! What a good day today?!”

“Could it be a publicity stunt again?”

“Shut up; how could this be a stunt? It’s a good day; don’t make me curse you out, just go away.”

“Those who can’t ship eating pears are doomed!!”

“Ahhh @ActorPeiQingci @ActorShengQingli hurry up and respond; I need your confirmation on this relationship.”

“Wuwuwu who understands, I’ve been waiting for this video for eight years, eight years!”

“It’s real, right? They kissed with tongue; if that’s not real, I’ll puke. It shouldn’t be acting, right? No way, no way.”

“Help!!! The moment they kissed as dawn broke was so romantic!!”

…

The CP fans and bystanders were genuinely excited.

After Sheng Qingli finished watching the video, she remembered that it must have been filmed a few months ago late at night.

At that time, she was a bit insomniac and couldn’t sleep no matter what. So, on a whim, she dragged Pei Qingci to the mountaintop to stargaze and wait for the sunrise.

Pei Qingci went along with her.

They went to a nearby mountain that could be driven up to.

After watching the stars from inside the car, they got out when it was time for the sunrise.

The wind was strong at the mountaintop. Sheng Qingli snuggled in Pei Qingci’s arms, yawning and mumbling, “Why isn’t the sun coming up? I’m a bit sleepy.”

Pei Qingci chuckled, pressing down the soft flesh on her cheek, and said in a low voice, “Should we do something to wake you up?”

“…” Sheng Qingli’s breath hitched slightly, and she reminded him quietly, “This is outdoors.”

Pei Qingci was amused by her and helplessly said, “Ms. Sheng, where are your thoughts going?”

He wrapped one arm around her waist and held her face with the other, his low, hoarse voice falling, “I’m talking about kissing.”

Before the sun peeked out, they shared a long, entangled kiss at the mountaintop.

When they pulled apart, Sheng Qingli felt dizzy, and her lips were moist with silver strands. Pei Qingci raised his hand to wipe the moisture from her lips and said softly, “Ms. Sheng, the sun is coming up.”

Sheng Qingli tilted her head and, as expected, saw the sunrise emerging from that side of the mountain.

They leaned against each other, watching the slowly rising dawn. When the sun completely rose, Sheng Qingli proactively kissed Pei Qingci again. Pei Qingci naturally turned the tables, kissing her back.

“…”

The video exposed by the netizen was exactly this last kiss.

Thinking back to that day, Sheng Qingli began to reflect; how did she not notice anyone around? Were she and Pei Qingci too into it?!

Just then, there was a sound of a car outside.

Sheng Qingli got up, walked to the door, and opened it, seeing Pei Qingci and a little girl beside him. She blinked gently.

Pei Qingci raised his hand and patted her head. “My sister, Gu Yu.”

He introduced her to Sheng Qingli, then turned to say, “Call someone.”

Gu Yu responded with an “Mm,” raising her eyes to look at Sheng Qingli, and cheerfully said, “Sister-in-law, hello, I’m Gu Yu.”

Sheng Qingli: “…”

Pei Qingci gestured, indicating, “That one, Ms. Li Yuwei.”

Gu Yu said, “Hello, Ms. Li.”

Li Yuwei looked confused too; she hesitated and nodded slightly.

Pei Qingci didn’t pay much attention to Gu Yu after the introductions. Afterward, Li Yuwei asked Gu Yu if she wanted to go outside to get some fresh air, leaving space for the young couple.

Gu Yu nodded and followed Li Yuwei out of the house.

After they left, Pei Qingci took out his phone and looked at Sheng Qingli. “Did you see what’s happening online?”

Sheng Qingli pulled her attention away from Gu Yu and asked, raising her face, “What did Rong say?”

“He’s not important,” Pei Qingci said softly. “What do you think?”

Sheng Qingli said, “You mean, whether to publicly acknowledge it or listen to me?”

Pei Qingci nodded.

Sheng Qingli smiled helplessly, “Mr. Pei, the video has spread everywhere. We have no choice but to go public.”

Pei Qingci squeezed her cold hand. “The person who leaked the video has messed up my plans a bit.”

Sheng Qingli was curious. “What was your plan?”

Pei Qingci glanced at her, pretending to be mysterious. “Not telling you.”

“…”

Sheng Qingli smiled. “If you don’t tell me, I still know.”

Pei Qingci raised an eyebrow and playfully pinched her nose. “How is my girlfriend so smart?”

Sheng Qingli wrapped her arms around his waist. “What do we do now? If we can’t follow the original plan, should we just admit it?”

If the two of them didn’t acknowledge it today, their fans would go crazy.

Pei Qingci replied with an “Mm,” kissing her lips. “Have you thought about how to announce it?”

Sheng Qingli said, “To be honest, I have no idea.”

She thought for a moment. “How about just responding that we’re in a relationship?”

Pei Qingci contemplated for a few seconds. “That works.”

While the internet was in chaos, the two of them calmly discussed how to announce their relationship appropriately.

They were taking too long, causing Lin Lin and Fang Xiangrong to send video invitations to discuss the announcement.

Just as the netizens were anxious like ants on a hot pot, constantly urging the couple and their team for clarity on the situation, Sheng Qingli’s fans noticed she was online.

About a minute later, fans started refreshing to see Sheng Qingli’s new Weibo post.

【Actor Sheng Qingli V: I’m in a relationship, with him. [photo.jpg]】

She shared a vibrant and lively photo taken with Pei Qingci in Switzerland.

As soon as the Weibo post was published, Pei Qingci immediately retweeted it.

【Actor Pei Qingci V: It’s me.】

The entire internet erupted in astonishment; netizens were in an uproar.

Countless users went crazy under their Weibo posts, the comments were spectacularly overwhelming.

Even more exaggerated, the two of them were wildly gaining followers.

“Ahhhh, congratulations!!!”

“May you have a hundred years of happiness and early blessings!!!”

“Congratulations to Pei Qingci for fulfilling his wish to marry into the family, let’s set off firecrackers to celebrate.”

“Eating pears for the New Year, my ship that I’ve been sailing for eight years finally reached its destination.”

“I knew it!! They are real!”

“Long live pears!”

“What?! So if it weren’t for this random person accidentally uploading the video online, revealing that one of the kissing couples was Pei Qingci and Sheng Qingli, everyone would still be in the dark?! Useless paparazzi, what good are you?”

“Anyone who dares to oppose eating pears, I will be their enemy.”

“Wuwuwu so sweet, so sweet.”

“Long-lasting love, I’ll keep a hundred accounts for Brother Rong.”

…

Aside from fans, many people in the industry who collaborated with the two also liked, commented, and shared their blessings.

Li Yuwei and Gu Yu were squatting by the two’s Weibo, trying to grab the first comment from fans as soon as Sheng Qingli posted. Unfortunately, they didn’t manage to get it.

In addition to Li Yuwei, Xu Xingyue, Yin Yanyan, and Yi Yehua also sent their blessings.

After sending blessings on Weibo, Xu Xingyue privately messaged Sheng Qingli: “Oh my gosh, I was dying, how did you manage to keep it a secret for so long?”

Sheng Qingli was slightly surprised when she saw it: “You… knew for a long time?”

Xu Xingyue replied, “I didn’t know at first, but Mr. Pei was too hostile towards me.”

It would have been hard not to know.

Sheng Qingli chuckled. “We weren’t together while filming.”

Xu Xingyue said, “That’s still pretty close.”

Besides Xu Xingyue, there was also Ye Guangyuan.

Ye Guangyuan first sent a series of question marks, then finally exclaimed, “Now I understand why Qingci always looked gloomy when he saw me.”

Sheng Qingli: “… I’ll apologize for him; he has a child’s temperament.”

Ye Guangyuan: “?”

Sheng Qingli: “What’s wrong?”

Ye Guangyuan: “Don’t indulge him too much.”

Pei Qingci has a child’s temperament? He clearly has a strong possessive streak.

Most people were pleased about Sheng Qingli and Pei Qingci being together.

Even their individual fans couldn’t really say anything bad about each other. They were not newcomers; with their age and achievements over the years, they could definitely date freely.

However, some people felt that they had been deceived and questioned why they didn’t go public sooner if they had been together for a long time.

Some raised doubts, but before Sheng Qingli and Pei Qingci could explain, their fans took the initiative to respond.

They were not idols; they were accomplished actors. Acting is their job, while dating is part of their life. They had simply entered the entertainment industry; it wasn’t like they had sold their entire lives to it.

In their romantic lives, they can be public if they want, or private if they don’t. What kind of deception is that?!

Both their loyal fans and CP fans are extremely passionate, and their probing left the haters speechless, bringing their attacks to a halt.

Of course, some people still expressed doubts. They knew the two were collaborating on a new movie and speculated that they might be trying to hype it up for its release at the end of the year. In short, they felt that this romance wouldn’t last long.

They’re all adults; who doesn’t date?

Coincidentally, this comment was seen by Sheng Qingli.

She ground her teeth and murmured, “If it weren’t for the accidental exposure, we wouldn’t be in a public relationship right now.”

They should have been announcing their engagement instead.

Pei Qingci leaned in to take a look and smirked, “How about we surprise them again later?”

“…I think that could work.” Sheng Qingli agreed.

The two exchanged smiles.

Suddenly, Sheng Qingli remembered the two outside, “Gu Yu is your…”

“Half-sister.” Pei Qingci replied.

When Pei Qingci first got together with Sheng Qingli, she had heard a young girl send him a voice message on WeChat.

At the time, she had asked who it was.

Pei Qingci had said it was his sister. Sheng Qingli had assumed it was his cousin and didn’t ask further.

Sheng Qingli realized, “You and her—”

“It’s not what you think.” Pei Qingci flicked her forehead lightly, “She’s much younger than I am, and there’s no conflict between us.”

Sheng Qingli responded, “Is she in high school or college?”

“Just starting her first year of university.”

After a brief chat, Sheng Qingli urged, “I’ll go get them.”

Pei Qingci nodded.

When Li Yuwei and Gu Yu entered the room, the four looked at each other.

After a moment of silence, Li Yuwei asked, “Are we heading back to Nancheng tomorrow?”

As soon as she finished speaking, a phone call from Ms. Sheng came in.

Sheng Qingli awkwardly said, “I’ll take this call first.”

Ms. Sheng had just seen the news and, knowing the couple had gone public, was even more eager to see Pei Qingci.

After thinking for a moment, Sheng Qingli said, “Maybe in a few days; we can’t go out right now.”

Ms. Sheng replied, “Be careful and take care of yourselves.”

Sheng Qingli: “Got it.”

Ms. Sheng: “I’ll wait for you to come back.”

Sheng Qingli smiled: “Okay.”

After the call, Sheng Qingli returned to the living room.

Gu Yu wanted to have dinner here, and Li Yuwei had long been craving Pei Qingci’s cooking.

The four discussed it, and Pei Qingci personally went to the kitchen to prepare dinner for the three women.

While he was busy in the kitchen, the three settled on the sofa to continue scrolling through Weibo.

Sheng Qingli didn’t expect that after her relationship with Pei Qingci went public, many little stories began to emerge online.

Some netizens claimed that the two had been together since filming “Love’s Vow” and that they avoided public encounters for many years to prevent their relationship from being exposed.

Others said they had broken up for a while and reconciled during “Blade and Sword.”

The latter seemed more credible.

In addition, there were also posts stating that when Sheng Qingli attended an event in the harbor city, Pei Qingci went to find her, and they secretly met.

Furthermore, a netizen abroad posted substantial evidence, claiming to have encountered the two in Switzerland.

She mentioned that she was a fan of Sheng Qingli and was pleasantly surprised to see them. When she took a photo of them holding hands while shopping, she only wanted to keep it as a souvenir. Knowing the couple likely didn’t want their relationship to be public, she had refrained from posting the photo.

But now that the couple had taken the initiative to go public, there was nothing to hide.

This Swiss netizen even replied to curious fans in the comments, stating that the couple was very sweet and lovey-dovey, just like a couple in love in real life.

While eating, they would feed each other and share smiles when their eyes met.

After reading this netizen’s revelations, fans exclaimed how sweet it was.

Sheng Qingli was also surprised; she didn’t expect that she and Pei Qingci had already been photographed in Switzerland.

Li Yuwei also came across it.

She couldn’t help but click her tongue, “You two are so lovey-dovey that I’m starting to want to date someone too.”

Sheng Qingli asked curiously, “Do you have someone in mind?”

Li Yuwei: “No, do you want to introduce someone to me?”

“I can have Pei Qingci introduce you.”

Gu Yu chimed in, “Sister Yuwei, what type do you like? I can introduce you! My brother has several friends who are particularly handsome and wealthy.”

After just forming a friendship in the yard, Gu Yu was already calling Li Yuwei “sister.”

Hearing the word “handsome,” Li Yuwei raised an eyebrow, “Are they real? How handsome? Are they as handsome as your brother?”

“Well, not quite.” Gu Yu had a bit of a filter for Pei Qingci, “My brother is the handsomest in the world.”

Li Yuwei: “…”

Sheng Qingli: “…”

As the online revelations kept coming, after watching for a while, Sheng Qingli glanced toward the kitchen and got up to walk over.

“Mr. Pei.”

Pei Qingci turned his head, “Hmm?”

“Do you need any help?” Sheng Qingli asked with a smile.

Pei Qingci lowered his eyes and slightly lifted his chin, “Yes.”

They both busied themselves in the kitchen, with Sheng Qingli helping to wash some vegetables.

Around six o’clock, the four of them sat at the dining table to begin eating. Seeing the dishes served, Li Yuwei took a bite and leaned close to Sheng Qingli, whispering, “Now I finally understand why you can’t live without Mr. Pei.”

Sheng Qingli couldn’t help but laugh and replied earnestly, “So it’s not just his cooking skills that I’m interested in.”

Li Yuwei: “Yes, yes, yes.”

She glanced at her and said, “And I understand Mr. Pei’s face and figure.”

“……”

The four of them chatted and laughed as they finished their meal.

After eating, Li Yuwei prepared to leave. Gu Yu was also heading back.

Originally, Pei Qingci offered to see Gu Yu off, but Gu Yu shook her head in refusal. “I promised Yuwei that she would give me a ride.”

She didn’t want to be a third wheel and be disliked by her brother and sister-in-law.

Before leaving, Gu Yu looked at Sheng Qingli, raised her hand, and said, “Sister-in-law, goodbye! You’re welcome to come and play at the Gu family.”

Sheng Qingli was still a bit unaccustomed to being called sister-in-law. She awkwardly smiled, “Okay, goodbye.”

After the two left, the room suddenly fell silent.

Sheng Qingli tilted her head, while Pei Qingci lowered his gaze.

Their eyes met, and Pei Qingci leaned closer to her, “Girlfriend.”

Sheng Qingli couldn’t help but smile, “Hmm?”

Pei Qingci hooked her finger, saying nothing more. He showed his intentions through action, lowering his head to kiss her lips.

Sheng Qingli let out a soft sound and actively responded to him.

It’s strange; even though they had been together for so long and had already confirmed each other’s feelings, they still couldn’t help but feel a bit excited and thrilled once their relationship was publicly acknowledged online.

They wanted to share this exhilaration with each other.

Pei Qingci’s kiss deepened.

Sheng Qingli’s heart raced as she responded to his passionate kiss, entangling with him.

After a long time.

The two finally pulled apart, breathless, their rosy lips glistening.

Pei Qingci’s warm breath came out as he held the back of her neck, his voice hoarse, “I’m very happy.”

Sheng Qingli paused, looking up at him before initiating another kiss, “Me too.”

They felt happy and satisfied.

The two kissed again, stumbling upstairs.

Once they returned to the room, Sheng Qingli suddenly remembered something. “The… the trophy is still at my place.”

Pei Qingci paused, his gaze deepening. “Shall we have Lin Jie take care of it for a night?”

Sheng Qingli held her breath for a moment and softly agreed, “I’ll send her a message.”

After sending the message and receiving a reply from Lin Lin, Sheng Qingli’s phone slipped from her hand.

The temperature in the room gradually rose.

The sound of water came from the bathroom, and Pei Qingci felt Sheng Qingli’s nails scratch his back, leaving marks.

The two, having publicly acknowledged their relationship for the first time, were a bit overwhelmed with excitement.

They fit together perfectly, and Pei Qingci felt her warmth, softness, and tightness.

In a daze, Sheng Qingli heard Pei Qingci whisper in her ear, “I love you.”